‘Muslims everywhere, South Asians must condemn Mumbai attacks’

Dhaka, Nov 28 (IANS) Carrying banner headlines on the Mumbai terror attacks for the past two days, sections of Dhaka media have pointed to the danger lurking not only before India, or Pakistan, that witnessed similar attacks, but to the entire South Asian region.The Bangladeshi media has been unanimous in condemning the attacks and expressing deep sympathies for those dead, maimed or those who were held hostage in the two luxury hotels in Mumbai, India’s commercial hub.

“It is clear that terrorism is now no more a national but a broad regional menace. It is now anyone’s guess as to where terrorism will strike next. But what is clear is that no one is safe and at this point it is for all South Asian nations to come together to combat the threat. At the same time, people everywhere must condemn the atrocity perpetrated in Mumbai,” said The Daily Star in an editorial.

It added: “After having been claimed responsibility by the so-called Deccan Mujahideen, it is especially (important) for Muslims everywhere, seeing that such atrocities are being perpetrated in their names, to condemn the killings loudly and make it clear that their faith abjures violence of all kinds.”

“The attacks have now introduced a strong feeling that unless drastic measures are taken to handle such terrorist acts on a regional basis, instability could become a real factor in South Asia and so leave societies open to depredations of the kind that have left Mumbai reeling,” the newspaper said.

Taking a critical view of how India has treated its minorities and the way it has handled terrorism, New Age newspaper said India had “disenfranchised politically” its minorities as evident from the violence against them in Orissa, Jammu and Kashmir and Assam.

It also blamed the Indian Government, especially Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for telling outgoing US President George W. Bush recently: “People in India love you.”

The newspaper said India had ignored the “genocidal aspects” of the Bush-led war on terror.